GNU & Unix commands

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This is a huge topic! Our class will start with how to get around in Linux. Check out all the commands we've learned so far.

Introduction to Linux

Start with Lesson 4 in Getting Started with Linux.

Lesson 4 + In Class Learning Quiz (take this on Jan. 11).
Directions: Copy the following text into an e-mail, answer, then send it to my gmail address. The test is open-Linux but closed-neighbor :)
  1. What's your working definition of open source software?
  2. What is cd /home supposed to do?
  3. On Puppy Linux, what does cd /home do?
  4. What does ls -a show you that plain ls doesn't?
  5. What's a Linux shell? What's the most popular shell? Name 2 other Linux shells.
  6. How is the command pwd helpful?
  7. How is the TAB key is useful in the bash shell?
  8. I just typed ls and pressed enter. Nothing happened.
  9. Tell me three non-obvious facts about one of the commands you learned this week.
  10. Run ifconfig and explain what you see. Number the lines in your email so I can follow. Example: Line 1 says blah, blah, and blah. Line 2 includes the foo and bar information. (and so on).
  11. Give me details on the web browser you're using in Linux: name and version. Is it the most recent version available? If not, what is?

Text Editors & Shells in Linux

Check out Lessons 5 and 6 in Getting Started with Linux. Use your new SDF accounts.

Lesson 5 + In Class Learning Quiz (take this on Jan. 18).
Directions: Same rules as before (see Introduction to Linux, above).
  1. What's SDF stand for?
  2. What kind of Linux/UNIX/other is used on SDF?
  3. What command would you use to reboot at 3:01am?
  4. What's the difference between a text editor and word processor?
  5. Create a file called 'quiz2' using vi. In the file, include the text "Megan made me write this." Save changes and exit vi. When you're done, call Megan over to get credit on this question.
  6. Name 2 other text editors you tried out this week.
  7. What does ls -lrt give me? (Hint: Examine each letter after the dash.)
  8. Use the text editor of your choice to create a file called 'quiz2.txt', list your five favorite states (one per line), save and exit the editor. Duplicate the file, changing only the filename to 'states.txt'. Call Megan over to evaluate this question.
  9. What will happen if I run cp -r pictures/ images/?
  10. What will happen if I run mv states.txt states/?
  11. Describe two situations where you might use mkdir and rmdir.

Working With Text Files

Check out Lesson 7 in Getting Started with Linux and "View, Redirect, and Append Files with cat".

Quiz (take this on Friday, Feb. 1)
Directions: Email this quiz to Megan at her Gmail address.
  1. Grep through 07vikings.csv to find all matching lines for "NFC Championship", redirecting the output to a file called nfc.txt. Show me the file during class.
  2. How many lines in 07vikings.csv have "Texans" in them?
  3. What's a pipe (the Linux variety)? and how are they useful?